Abstract:
This study reports on the results of the first phase of an action research dealing with problems related
to the assessment process of pre-service EFL teachers. Self-assessment at higher levels of education
is an up-to-date issue with discussions concerning different aspects of the topic. One of these aspects
is negotiated assessment, a process in which learners try to come to terms with their instructors over
grading their performances. In this study, this assessment paradigm was used to solve assessmentrelated
problems. Not satisfied with the grades they had received in a previous course, a class of 19
third year pre-service teachers participated in the study with an orientation to have a say in their
grading system. To this end, an online discussion form was created, and the participants posted their
ideas about how they should be assessed in the related course. The instructor contributed to the
discussions by helping the participants understand different dimensions of assessment process in
general. Through these discussions, a self-assessment scale was constructed, and the participants
were asked to grade themselves by using the scale they created collectively. The instructor also
graded the participants by taking into account the parameters in the scale. Then the instructor and the
participants tried to negotiate over the most reasonable grade for each of them. It was observed that
this interaction between the instructor and the teacher candidates had a potential to increase the
effectiveness of the assessment process. Most importantly, it seemed that this kind of assessment
paradigm was very likely to have positive effects on the overall motivation of the sides involved in the
teaching/learning process.
